Dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system, we seek to unite the lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers of America, to function as an effective political and social force in the service of the people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests.

Fight for Justice: Using UN Treaties and Offices of Inspector General

Lawyers citing U.N. treaties are winning many cases on civil rights and liberties, criminal law, election law, immigration, juvenile, labor, and military law. Ann Fagan Ginger of Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute will briefly describe U.S. treaty law under the U.S. Constitution. Prof. Bill Quigley, just back from helping Katrina victims and Haiti, will join Bill Goodman of Detroit and the Center for Constitutional Rights, in describing 47 cases won recently in U.S. federal and state courts based on U.S. treaty law. Solidarity lawyer Susan Scott of Sacramento and the NLG International Committee will describe the UN Human Rights Committees reporting system and how it is affecting some U.S. government actions. Ann Fagan Ginger will describe human rights ordinances and resolutions adopted by the City Council of Berkeley and how they are improving enforcement of human rights in the city.

Then Prof. John Brittain of the University of D.C. College of Law, former NLG national president, will describe the process of filing complaints with the Offices of Inspector General and how this is helping clients, from fired U.S. Attorneys and detained noncitizens to Hurricane Katrina victims and people seeking access to secret EPA, CIA, and NSA documents.

Participants will make oral presentations commented on by the presenters. The session for 4-hour CLE credit will be held on Thursday, October 15, 1-5:15 pm at the national convention of the National Lawyers Guild in Seattle. Each participant will receive a coursebook of cases, the text of all relevant treaties, descriptions of successful OIG complaints, etc., and the oral presentations, in searchable PDF format.